"You have got to be kidding me," Rook snarled, though the effect was somewhat undermined by the blush creeping up his neck.
"Just do it," I sighed, extending my arms. "Fighting it only makes it worse."
With visible reluctance, Rook stepped forward. We embraced awkwardly, our bodies stiff with mutual discomfort. His body was furnace-hot against mine, all solid muscle and barely contained strength. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest, a rhythm that matched my own elevated pulse.
"Insufficient contact detected," the voice chided. "Full embrace required for harmonic alignment."
The floor jolted beneath us, pushing us closer until we were properly hugging, chest to chest, my face against his shoulder due to our height difference. He smelled of pine and earth and wild that triggered both my fight and flight instincts simultaneously.
And something else, something my body responded to against my will.
Never in my centuries of existence had I been held by someone who could physically dominate me. As a half-fae demon hunter, I was usually the strongest being in any given space. But Rook's arms around me were bands of iron, his broad chest a wall of muscle against mine. The werewolf could probably break me in half without shifting if he wanted to.
That realization shouldn't have been arousing. It definitely shouldn't have sent a jolt of heat straight to my groin. Yet herewe were, and there was no hiding my body's reaction, pressed together as we were.
Rook tensed, his nostrils flaring. Werewolf senses. Of course he could smell my sudden arousal.
His eyes met mine, confusion giving way to understanding, then something darker. The amber of his irises shimmered, giving way to the gold of his wolf. A low growl rumbled through his chest, vibrating against mine.
"You're turned on," he accused quietly, his voice pitched so only I could hear.
"Not by choice," I grumbled back, though we both knew it wasn't entirely true. "Blame the magic."
The chamber hummed around us, apparently pleased by our prolonged contact. Across the room, Winter and Milo were similarly embracing, though with considerably less tension.
"Emotional harmony at thirty percent," the voice announced. "Continuing physical contact recommended."
Rook's growl deepened, but he didn't release me. If anything, his arms tightened slightly. "This is ridiculous."
"Agreed," I nodded against his shoulder, trying desperately to think unsexy thoughts. "Completely ridiculous."
"Then why are you still hard?" He whispered, the words hot against my ear.
I pulled back enough to meet his eyes, finding them now fully wolf-gold. "Why are you?" I countered, feeling his matching response pressed against my hip.
For a moment, we just stared at each other, mutual understanding passing between us. The chamber's magic might have forced us together, but our bodies' reactions were our own.
"Perhaps," Rook began haltingly, "we should?—"
The door to the chamber suddenly slid open with a hiss, shattering the moment. We sprang apart as Fenric burst in, his usually perfect composure completely abandoned.
"Session terminated!" His silver-blond hair uncharacteristically disheveled. "Everyone out, now! The chamber is destabilizing!"
I looked around, noticing for the first time that the runes on the walls were flickering erratically. The floor beneath us had begun to vibrate, and the air felt charged with unstable magical energy.
"What's happening?" Winter's blue markings on her arm now pulsing rapidly in time with the failing runes.
Fenric's eye twitched violently. "Your prophetic energy is interacting with the chamber's alignment magic in unforeseen ways. The system is overloading. If we don't evacuate immediately, the resulting magical discharge coul.."
A loud crack interrupted him as the first of the floor tiles split in two.
"Could what?" Milo pressed, eyes wide.
"Trap us all in a pocket reality of pure emotional energy," Fenric finished grimly. "Now move!"
We didn't need to be told twice. All of us bolted for the door, Rook pausing only to grab Winter's hand and pull her along when her bad knee made her stumble. We burst into the hallway just as a bright light flashed behind us, followed by the sound of reality being ripped apart.
The door slid shut automatically, sealing off whatever chaos was unfolding inside. Emergency wards activated, glowing sigils appearing on the door's surface to contain the magical breach.
